Innerboot particularly for skates

Abstract: Innerboot having a releasably closable opening arranged between first and second lateral portions (2,3) of the innerboot (1). The innerboot has, at the opening, a lower flap (7) extending from the first lateral portion at the metatarsal region and covering the second lateral portion, and an upper flap (11) extending from the second lateral portion at the front tibia region and covering the first lateral portion.

Description: The present invention relates to an innerboot particularly usable for skates. It is currently known to manufacture sports shoes, such as for example roller or ice skates or ski boots, which comprise a shell and one or more quarters articulated thereto. These components are usually made of rigid material, so that it is necessary to use an innerboot made of soft material to improve the fit of the foot. Innerboots obtained with conventional methods or by foaming, used particularly in ski boots, can currently be generally divided into complete innerboots for front-entry boots and partial innerboots for rear-entry boots. More in detail, the complete innerboot has, in its front part, so that it can be put on, a longitudinal opening which is covered by a large tongue fixed at the tip of the innerboot. This embodiment allows the tongue to move laterally with respect to the tibia and the foot instep and produces uncomfortable bulges of material especially in the region where the tongue overlaps the upper. This innerboot is also uncomfortable in the tibial region and in the metatarsal region. The partial innerboot is constituted by an innerboot that only surrounds the front part of the foot and of the leg, leaving exposed the ankle and heel regions as well as the rear part of the leg. The regions left exposed by the innerboot are protected and contained by paddings applied to the rear quarter that constitutes the boot. In this embodiment, unpleasant bulges of material form in the region where the padding overlaps the innerboot, producing pressure points in the ankle and calf regions. Furthermore, as can be easily understood, these different innerboots are considerably expensive from the point of view of standardization, since it is necessary to produce different parts to constitute a complete or partial innerboot; various processing steps are furthermore required to stitch the padding at the edges on the quarters of the boot. As a partial solution to these drawbacks, this same Applicant filed, on 19 May, 1981, an Italian Utility Model application no. 21814 B/81, which discloses an innerboot particularly for ski boots comprising a body which affects the region of the foot and from which a quarter extends. The main feature of this innerboot resides in the fact that a longitudinal notch is present on the quarter and is delimited by a pair of mutually superimposable flaps. Although this solution is undoubtedly valid, it has the drawback that it can be provided specifically for rear-entry ski boots, and its use is thus limited to this configuration. Italian Utility Model patent application no. 30614 B/77, filed on 3 February, 1977 discloses a soft innerboot particularly for rigid shoes which has the feature of comprising two complementary parts obtained by hot vacuum-forming of a continuous sheet of compact foam. These two parts are already connected along part of the connecting perimeter, and the remaining part of the perimeter is subsequently welded with means for stable connection. This solution, too, has drawbacks, since it can be used only for shoes such as front-entry ski boots. The aim of the present invention is to solve the described technical problems, eliminating the drawbacks of the known art and thus providing an innerboot for sports shoes such as roller or ice skates or ski boots, which can be used regardless of the configuration of the shoe and thus for front-entry, rear-entry and mixed configurations. Within the scope of the above aim, an important object of the present invention is to provide an innerboot that allows optimum fit of the foot by adapting to its shape. Another object of the invention is to provide an innerboot that ensures optimum accommodation of the foot especially at the regions subjected to the most intense pressures during sports practice. Another important object of the invention is to provide an innerboot that is structurally simple, easy and rapid to manufacture, has low manufacturing costs and also facilitates extreme standardization of the components. According to the invention, there is provided an innerboot as defined in the appended claims. The characteristics and advantages of the innerboot according to the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of a particular embodiment thereof, illustrated only by way of non-limitative example in the accompanying drawings, wherein: figure 1 is an exploded perspective view of the innerboot; figure 2 is an exploded top view of the innerboot; figure 3 is a side perspective view of the innerboot in assembled condition; figure 4 is a top view of the innerboot; figure 5 is a sectional partial view, taken along the plane V-V of figure 2; figure 6 is a view, similar to figure 3, of the innerboot. With reference to the above figures, the reference numeral 1 generally designates the innerboot, which is particularly usable for sports shoes such as for example roller or ice skates or ski boots. The innerboot is constituted by a first half-shell 2 and by a separate second half-shell 3. Both half-shells are obtained for example by thermoformation. Each of the two half-shells has a half-insole, designated by the reference numerals 4a and 4b, from which a half-body 5a and 5b extends and surrounds the lateral region of the foot, around half of the metatarsal and instep regions, around the entire malleolar regions 6a and 6b, and around part of the tibia. Both the first 2 and the second 3 half-shells have one or more flaps protruding from the half-bodies 5a and 5b. In this particular embodiment, the first half-shell 2 has a lower 7 and a rear 8 flap protruding respectively at the metatarsal region 9 and at the rear ankle and/or tibial region 10. The lower and rear flaps have such dimensions as to partially surround the second half-shell 3. The second half-shell has an upper flap 11 protruding at the front region of the user's tibia so as to partially surround the first half-shell 2. The first and the second half-shells are connected by means of known systems, such as stitching, welding or glueing. In order to improve the connection between the first 2 and the second 3 half-shells, or as an alternative to the conventional fastening systems, an adapted sole 12 is provided with means for temporary connection to the half-soles 4a and 4b. This means is preferably constituted by a plurality of adapted mushroom-shaped lugs 13 the head whereof is inserted, for example in a snap-together manner, at adapted holes 14a and 14b formed on the half-soles 4a and 4b. Use of the invention is in fact as follows: once the first and the second half-shells have been produced separately, they can be mutually associated, by simply placing them side by side or by joining them, as mentioned above, making the lower, rear and upper flaps partially wrap around the other half-shell. In this manner, or as an alternative to the use of the sole 12, one obtains an innerboot usable for shoes having either front-region or rear-region foot insertion, because the rear flap 8 or the upper flap 11 can be simply gripped in order to insert the foot. As an alternative, the first and second half-shells can be mutually temporarily associated by using an adapted band 15 which is preferably elastic or of the tear-open type, which surrounds the upper ends of the half-bodies 5a and 5b while leaving access, for example, to the lower flap 7, the rear flap 8 and the upper flap 11. It has thus been observed that the invention has achieved the intended aim and objects, an innerboot for sports shoes having been obtained that allows universal use and can adapt without curling to changes in the volumes of the shoes. Furthermore, the padding is doubled at critical points by virtue of the overlap of the lower, rear and upper flaps on the other half-shell. Naturally, said half-shells can be mutually coupled by means of different solutions, such as for example the stitching or welding of the half-soles. Naturally, the number and shape of the flaps as well as the materials and dimensions of the individual components of the innerboot may be the most pertinent according to the specific requirements.

Claims: Innerboot particularly for skates, comprising a releasably closable opening arranged between a first lateral portion of a first half-shell (2) and a second lateral portion of a second separate half-shell (3) of the innerboot in which said first and second half-shells are mutually coupled, said opening extending from the metatarsal region (9) up to the front tibia region of the innerboot, the releasably closable opening comprising a lower flap (7) extending from said first lateral portion (2) at the metatarsal region and covering said second lateral portion (3), and an upper flap (11) extending from said second lateral portion at the front tibia region and covering said first lateral portion (2). Innerboot according to claim 1, characterized in that said first and second half-shells have a half-sole (4a,4b) from which a half-body (5a,5b) extends and surrounds the lateral region of the foot, around approximately half of the foot instep and metatarsal regions, fully around the malleolar region (6a,6b) and around approximately half of the tibial region. Innerboot according to claim 2, characterized in that said first half-shell has the said lower flap (7) and a rear (8) flap protruding respectively at the foot instep region and at the rear ankle and/or tibial (10) region. Innerboot according to claim 3, characterized in that said lower, rear and upper flaps partially surround the other one of said first and second half-shells. Innerboot according to one or more of the preceding claims, further comprising a sole (12) having means (13) for connection to said first and second separate half-shells. Innerboot according to claim 5, characterized in that said means are constituted by mushroom-shaped lugs (13) the head whereof is associable in a snap-together manner in adapted holes formed on said half-soles.

Inventors: POZZEBON ADOLFO, POZZEBON, ADOLFO
Applicants: BENETTON SPA, BENETTON GROUP S.P.A.
Application year: 1994
Main classification: A43B19
IPC codes: A43B5